The Tale of Longclaws
by Tawnyflare
Summary: Two cats go into the woods to find a mythical beast. Both do it to get a high position in the clan and loathe the one going with them. Will they be able to work together and find the beast? Or die due to their ignorance? I considered this to be too long for my 'short stories' collection so it gets it's own, to bad it doesn't deserve it.


Okay it's fixed now. Thanks for those who told me, means a lot.

I honestly hate this with every fiber of my being and I don't even have the desire to fix it either. Take it for what it is, it was just an experiment anyway.

Ashspots ducked under a low-lying branch, her eyes scanning far ahead for any sign of life. Slipping out of the dark shadows, the she-cat cautiously stepped across the dew-ridden grass as she kept her nose on the ground. Her ears twitched and turned to any sound from a bird song to the light rustling of leaves far above. Each one of Ashspots's movements was carefully catorgrapthed to make as little sounds as possible, trying to stay a shadow herself. Although that was all wasted whenever she glanced over her shoulder to see a bright silver pelt walking in plain view of anything that would pass by. Branches snapped under the other cats clumsy paws and her own voice was shooting through any realm of quietness Ashspots had tried to hid in.

"I can't believe that Darkstar made us come all the way out here and just to see if the legend is true." Willowleaf flicked her ear in shallow annoyance, her voice echoing against the quiet. "Seems like a coward thing to do if you ask me when I'm the leader I'll do these 'missions' and bring along more than one other cat."

A growl rippled through Ashspots throat as her clanmate's cocky attitude alit a burst of anger inside of her. Willowleaf was not the ideal cat to be traveling with and the desire to cuff the silver tabby on her ears was a common occurrence. The way she said the word missions sent the fur on Ashspots's spine to prickle with unease. How dare she dismiss this as something so simple that an apprentice could do it! This was a special request from Darkstar himself do investigate the forest in hopes of being able to expand their territory. Starclan had blessed ShadedClan with many kits and apprentice these past seasons and expanding the territory was essential. Willowleaf through was treating this like an unneeded hunting patrol to keep some annoying appurtenances busy. Though it seems that he is, thought Ashspots through slanted eyes. "And I got the watching portion of it.

"If the legend is true, then perhaps it would be a good idea to shut your muzzle and quiet your steps," Ashspots advised coldly, her voice so thick with sarcasm even Willowleaf could get it. The other she-cat shot her an almost pitying look which caused Ashspots to flatten her ears across her grey head. Breaking her glare, Ashspots focused on searching for any sign of tracks from the so-called monster that lived here.

A common elder and nursery tale had come to life a moon ago. An apprentice had come into camp one day, blabbering on and on about seeing it for the first time, Longclaws the enormous cat hybrid. With paws as big as a warrior's head with claws longer than branches of the tallest tree. Its body was lean enough to jump through shadows with a pelt bathed in blood, staining the fur crimson. The most terrifying of it all was it's claws, long, sharp, and deadly. It was said it would punish cats who had done wrong or brought shame among their clans, an enforcer of the warrior code. Maybe it's looking for Williowleaf. Thought Ashspots with amusement, a sly smile going across her face.

"Ashspots, there's nothing here!" Willowleaf replied certainly, stopping her stride in the middle of an open clearing. The dark midnight moon casts an eerily light onto Williowleaf's pelt, making the silver shine with a dull glow. Her amber eyes shown with confidence as she waved her tail over the empty trees that were tail-lengths behind her. "That apprentice was fresh out of the nursery, properly lied to tell a good story their friends."

"Doesn't hurt to look, besides, unlike you, I'm trying to boost my reputation." Ashspots replied smartly, holding herself a bit higher as she spoke. "Snowsplash is growing old and someone needs to replace him." That sure got her attention. Willowleaf's ears perked up in surprise at it. She padded closer to the other warrior with interest.

"Is he now?" Willowleaf asked, her voice trying to conceal her excitement with little success. "How do you know that?"

Ashspots rolled her eyes at the silver tabby's ignorance to what was happening in the clan around her. Obviously, Snowsplash was growing weaker each day, that nasty cough of his sending him straight to the medicine cat's den almost every patrol. It was disappointing to see such a brave and loyal deputy get cut off in the middle of his position, not living long enough to succeed Darkstar who was getting on in years himself. Not only was Snowsplash growing frailer, the most obvious sign of a new deputy soon, but almost every warrior falling paws over ears to look better than others. Ashspots couldn't resist a smile when Cloudjumper fell into the stream that bordered the territory when trying to impress Darkstar. It was amusing to see them act this way and a few jealous stares did follow them as the two left on their mission.

"A good warrior always knows what is happening in their clan." Replied Ashspots with a flick of her tail. She quickened her pace to get farther away from the overgrown apprentice and to check the side of the path. A cool wind pulled Ashspots's whiskers behind her, bringing the scent of a cat. Willowleaf's own scent was mixed in with it but the major one being something Ashspots did recognize before. Close to rouge but not quite. Ashspots shook her head, placing the scent on the mix of rogues and loners that had passed through their territory. She leaned in though to investigate more, hoping to pinpoint it before Willowleaf interrupted that train of thought

"Not my fault I don't partake in clan gossip!" Willowleaf shot back after a few seconds of Ashspots pretending she didn't exist. "I'm just too busy hunting or patrolling to have leisure time like you do."

Ashspots didn't have to turn around to know Willowleaf was using her taller height to look superior to the grey cat. It was quite annoying to have the younger warrior stand taller than the others in an attempt to intimidate. Not only that but her tone dripped with her ego. The scent was forgotten as a rebuttal came to mind; Ashspots was not one to go against a challenge.

"You're right, you are to busy to do partake in clan gossip." Ashspots agreed as she turned. Willowleaf became smugger and her amber eyes lit up with dull prise. "But a good deputy knows their clanmates individually, being popular is important Willowleaf."

"As is helping your clan!" Growled back Willowleaf as all thoughts of a possible monster lurking in the bushes was forgotten between the two.

"Ah, but what's better than helping your clan with clanmates at paws reach?" Asked Ashspots, growing more and more defensive over the position she strived her whole life for. Many other cats in the clan, toms and she-cats alike, were satisfied with a simple life and mate by their side. Ashspots always wanted more than that and ever since Snowsplash had so much as sneezed, she leaped onto the opportunity. Every patrol, every hunting sessions, trained not one but two apprentices and kept up with everything the cats in the clan had so much thought about. She had risen through the ranks quickly and proudly, delivering each task with as much grace and perfection as possible. Embermask and Littlestorm had turned into brave warriors Darkstar could count on, every cat in the clan respected her, she had everything she needed in her corner and she wasn't about to let some upstart young warrior take it from her!

Hardly out of the apprentice den herself and Willowleaf had gotten her first apprentice faster than Ashspots got her own. Willowleaf was cruising through warrior's life as if it was nothing, taking patrols and getting much more praise than Ashspots did when she was a young warrior. Everything seemed to be handed to her and the luck of Starclan seemed permanent to stand by her side while it was lacking by Ashspots. When Willowleaf caught a rabbit, Ashspots caught a few mice, when Willowleaf fought off a fox, Ashspots defended their border from Lightclan. One was always overlooked by the other and it had started to ruffle Ashspots's fur for a while now. Everything Ashspots had worked for seemed to crumble down when Darkstar told her that he already asked Willowleaf her option and just wanted a second one. The thought that a cat, so much younger and inexperienced then her, was more important and wanted then herself. Every day felt like another battle from the inside as Ashspots defended in vain for a position she set her heart and life on.

Willowleaf didn't understand what was going through the other warrior's head, her face showing discomfort with how Ashspots was wording her rebuttals. No doubt it was strange to have an older warrior dislike you for such a kit-like thing, fighting for position that only one side knew they were fighting for.. Ashspots hadn't been subtle with how she felt either not speaking to Willowleaf or refusing to share tongues with her by simply walking away. It was kit-like and foolish, especially when on a mission to save the lives of the clan. Willowleaf, still full of apprentice questions, didn't seem bothered by the threat that had Ashspots carefully trodding through the undergrowth. The silver tabby was pushing past foliage and stepping on loose twigs and her voice began to grow louder and louder as she began to ask her questions to the other she-cat.

"Why...do you treat me...like an apprentice?" Asked Willowleaf, her word choice confused as she went on, trying to not be offensive. Ashspots twitched back an ear in an unknown emotion. The grey cat herself couldn't decipher if it was anger, amusement, or annoyance that pulled the action through.

"Whatever do you mean?" Ashspots replied, her voice more of a whisper as a chilling wind blew, carrying the same scent as before. All Ashspots wanted to do was concentrate on the mission, get back to camp, and get back to patching up the nursery and elders den, the wind being a clear sign of the coming cold. That would have the two biggest groups of gossip in the clans on her good side, perfect when discussing the deputy. Dustcloud had been making more of an appearance in it instead of Ashspots. Bile raised in Ashspots's throat when she thought of it. Willowleaf, on the other paw, had different plans as she stopped her stride and demanded the attention of the other warrior.

"You treat me like an apprentice!" Willowleaf growled, going on the defensive. Her blacked striped tail lashed out behind her and her teeth began to show under her muzzle. "I'm a warrior! One of the best of my age group! If you haven't noticed, I'm also in the running for deputy, it's not just you!" Ashspots stopped crouching, stopped being careful, stopped caring about the mission. Her grey back turned towards the other she-cat who was barking and growling like she deserved all the respect in the world. Along, still silence fell between the two and it felt as if the world itself ceased motion and focused on a pity fight between two warriors.

"A young warrior." Replied Ashspots after precious seconds of quiet and thinking. Not a muscle moved under her sleek pelt or whisker twitched on her muzzle.

"Well..yes," Willowleaf replied as her own muscles loosened with confinement at the answer. "I am a young warrior as you say but still I'm-"

"A young warrior." Ashspots finished and her face turned to look at Willowleaf. The she-cat looked almost pitiful as she tried to fight a cat over twice her age with more experience behind their yellow eyes. Willowleaf stood in a way that might have been threatening to a loner but had no use on Ashspots. With her tail lashing, fur ruffled and sticking out, and ears flattened far against the sides of her skull, Willowleaf didn't look like the high warrior she thought herself to be. The green eyes that had sparkled before with ignorance and boredom were now flashing with a fiercer side of pride. The kind of pride that meant doing whatever a cat had to do prove not to be wrong, a pride that had a serious foolishness in it, a pride that played with a dangerous ambition. Ashspots felt softened at the look of that pride, a pride she held deep within herself that had begun to stir and burn under her dark grey fur.

"What do you mean?" Willowleaf attempted to hiss and spit out the words like acid but they were dulled by the curiosity in her voice.

"A young, upstart warrior that had luck on their side many times over." Ashspots continued. "You've had everything given to you since you were at your mother's side. A great mentor, good warriors for your parents, and everything a young apprentice could ask for." Ashspots walked forward as she listed, enjoying how the other cat squirmed under her gaze. Soon the two cats were so close their noses would touch if one of them so much as sneezed. Each one was radiating the emotion they were feeling, defensive of what linked them together.

"Not my fault." Replied Willowleaf, the words scrambled and unoriented as she tried to defend herself.

"Oh, but it is." Ashspots corrected neatly, her chin raised a bit as the cat she was envious of was finally down at her paws. This was playing out just as she imagined it in the head many sleepless patrols, much like she imagined being named the deputy. "You let all that luck, all that Starclan forbidden luck, run wild. You let it be confused for experience, you let it be confused with skill, and you let that all go to your head, thus causing your pride to overtake you. Nothing you have done has been done by yourself and now our clanmates are doing the same thing you're doing, confusing everything for something it's not."

Willowleaf was surprised to say the least, her mouth ajar and posture becoming stiff and heavy under her fur. Ashspots restricted the urge to purr and instead let a successful smirk go over her face. Upon seeing it, Willowleaf regained herself and began to bark back her defense.

"What about you?" She spat back, the spit hitting Ashspots almost on her black nose. "You've been meowing about how you're a better candidate? Seems to me like you have been confused or prideful or whatever yourself? Huh? Care to explain THAT?"

Ashspots was bit shaken by the rebuttal, at a loss for words but was soon able to regain herself. "I've been a warrior longer then you have. I have trained two apprentices, repaired the den countless times, aided with the decisions of Darkstar, and taken place on every patrol I possibly could. I have seen my littermates taken by death and my parents grow frail and old. I have seen the terror real battle brings with it have come back scarred." Willowleaf was shocked at the sudden loudness that Ashspost was using. All her life, Ashspots had been polite and hardly rose her voice to anyone, preferring to be docile and strict when the time called for it. Never had she became so loud, so defensive over a topic she held so close to her heart. She was ready to fight for it, and fight she would.

"I have experience, more experience then you have." Growled Ashspots. "My pride comes from my success and the improvement of my mistakes! Everything I've done was to become better and I have! My pride is high because of that! Not because I had some good run-ins with luck and have yet to get a real look at the world and everything it brings!"

"I have experience!" Cried Willowleaf, obviously flabbergasted by the well-structured defense Ashspots had made. Her face clearly showed she was searching for some sort of experience to shoot back. "I was at that battle, with Lightclan! I saved Mosspaw's life!"

Ashspots nodded dryly at the fact that Willowleaf had somehow been able to think of something before shooting back her own. "One battle you have done something selfless and you haven't done anything since!" Willowleaf faltered, slinking down closer to the ground with her teeth bared and showing through her lips. "If you want to experience then you should be focusing on finding this so-called monster!"

"I'll show you a monster," Willowleaf growled as she flung herself at Ashspots. The surprise attack was close to well-timed and would have had left Ashspots with a shoulder wound but she was able to dodge it. Years of training had her light on her paws and leaping backward with practiced grace. Many options of the fight rose forward in Ashspots's mind and the old tradition of picking one came over her. The grey cat could either attack her silver tabby companion and leave her how Ashspots desperately wanted to, scared enough to have Willowleaf remember her place. That would have Willowleaf and all her possible supporters against Ashspots, and in a clan of roughly 20 cats, that was not something she wanted. She could dodge each attack, wouldn't be extremely hard, but humiliate Willowleaf and dapper her fighting ability with a remembrance of attacking some cat she couldn't beat. Although she disliked admitting it, Willowleaf was a strong fighter and the clan came first in all decisions.

Willowleaf turned on Ashspots, growling deep in her throat as she lunged forward with claws sparkling like her own pelt in the light. Another duck under them and Ashspots were able to slide underneath the other she-cat and shot out the other side. Mirroring Willowleaf's growl, Ashspots slashed her small claws across Willowleaf's back before zipping out of range of the other tabby's claws. The young warrior turned with fury clear in her eyes and a roar on the tip of her tongue as the two she-cats continued the fight.

They were locked in a battle of pride and envy, doing it the most primitive way they could. Claws and teeth flashed as Willowleaf went for blood and Ashspots settled for humiliation on the other warrior. Each one wanted a different goal but would settle for the same outcome, death of the other cat if it came to it. They were both loyal to the warrior code but when a cat is poked too many times the claws come out and the warrior code gets tossed aside. Since they were so focused on saving their own fur, none of them noticed the shift in the ferns many fox-lengths away and confused the slight growls beyond the fight on their own.

Ashspots was thrown roughly back into a more densely wooded area, closer to the boundary of the clan and unmarked territory. Her scratches stung and she had torn a claw but the same determination still ran through her veins. Willowleaf appeared from behind a patch of trees, baring her own scratches and now a torn ear. Some mark was able to be made on her body and at the time Ashspots felt satisfied with seeing it.

Gathering herself to her paws, Ashspots opened her mouth to speak. This fight was pointless and surely Willowleaf knew this. She was right about the pride, it was dangerous for such a young warrior to have so much of it. Lashing out at the other warrior was not the way to deal with the wound Willowleaf felt. Still, she couldn't let herself be attacked like, that would make Willowleaf's pride grow even more.

Just as she did, something caught her eye. Turning behind to get a better view, Ashspots felt the breath catch in her throat as she saw long claws marks across the trunk of the tree. Even from a tail-length away, she could see how deep they were engraved on the trees thick bark. A sickening feeling held deep in her stomach as a conclusion came to her. Just as she thought her anxiety had reached its maximum point, a noticeable amount of bushes were rustling with something that wasn't the wind. No Willowleaf behind it, seeing as the she-cat was approaching slowly from the other direction.

"Willowleaf!" Hissed Ashspots quickly, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible. The young warrior continued to approach, her yellow eyes slanting so thin they seemed closed. She continued forward, her paws barely skimming the ground as she went.

"Willowleaf!" Growled Ashspots now, pointing her tail and twitching her ears towards the bush where the supposed monster was creeping. Willowleaf seemed confused and stopped her assault for only a brief moment. Looking over at the bush, Willowleaf eyed it with interest but after a few seconds of no movement, the warriors' attention span was lost. A laugh bubbled into her throat as she turned on Ashspots again.

"Nothing's there! Trying to distract me so you can finish the job? Nice try, but I'm smarter than-" Willowleaf was cut shout as a fur-raising, ear-splitting yowl rang out from between the two causing each of them to freeze. Barely a second after came a dark ginger blur of fur and Willowleaf disappeared under it.

For a second, Ashspots froze where she stood. Her paws felt like they had been sucked into the ground. Whatever fabled monster that had been said to lurk in the bushes was real, very real. Snapping out of her trance when she heard Willowleaf's yowl of pain, Ashspots leaped forward at the dark ginger blur. Her claws met its pelt and it hardly felt what she expected the beast's fur to feel like. She had imagined it brisling and sharp like a bramble bush but Instead, it was silky and smooth to the touch. As her claws sunk into the thick muscle, Ashspots was satisfied to hear a growl of annoyance and maybe a little pain underneath that.

The monster shook her off and turned away from Willowleaf to look at the cat attacking it. Ashspots struggled to her paws, her head raising to get a good view of the monster, no doubt Longclaws, in front of her. Its pelt was a brilliant dark ginger, almost red in the light with a white underbelly that highlighted it out more. It was thin but lithe and strong from its actions with its pale yellow eyes filled with hate and instinct. Its legs were long and paw nimble as it began to charge again towards its new enemy. A smashed in the muzzle and small ears were pinned back to its face while it's long tail waved from the back.

Ashspots ducked underneath the monster in barely enough time, feeling the soft flesh of her ear cut open. Surprise overwhelmed her as the picture of this monster came clear. It was bigger than her and Willowleaf, but not enough to be considered lion-sized. Ashspots felt slightly sick at the fact the description told in the tales were accurate. Its pelt was close to the color of blood no doubt and Ashspots could guess it looked that way in daylight as well. It wasn't as huge as Ashspots imaged but it made up for that in power. Longclaw's pelt bristled over well-made muscles and its paws were at least two times the size of Ashspots's. A light glare of the moon gave away the length of its claws. Not as long as tree branches but no doubt sharper than thorns.

Its strength came through as it packed enough power to cause Ashspots to fear for her life as she rushed to the side of her fellow warrior. The bickering they had been doing and pointless fighting before had done nothing to help and only harmed them now. Not only the bitter and frail relationship would help them with nothing doing this fight, they already had but the fighting had weakened them and brought this monster to them. A long gash covered the foreleg of Willowleaf's pelt, her blood making a stripe of crimson across it. At first glance, it looked like a horrible wound but after a closer look, it wasn't as deep as Ashspots once thought. A sigh of relief as she tried to mutter comfort to the other warrior but a force from behind had her rolling paws over tail across the leaf ridden floor. The cracks of the leaves under her matched the flares of pain that ran in her muscles from being tossed aside as if she was a mouse. She landed on her front legs, causing them to spray in front of her and a rough gathering to her paws followed. The pain felt as if her back had been broken in two as if was a twig but how she still could move freely she was overwhelmed that nothing had been broken.

The cat hybrid behind her yowled another challenge, seemingly to have forgotten about Willowleaf for now. Ashspots had been the one to hurt it and it wanted revenge. They were on its land that was punishable by death. Not too far from its land either...Thought Ashspots, a glance behind her gave her a similar view of ShadedClan territory. This cat hybrid didn't seem to be young with the experience of fighting in its eyes. Was it possible that it wouldn't cross the border onto their land? ShadedClan had lived so close to it for so long and just now they had seen it. Sending the hybrid to camp sent a shiver down her spine and Ashspots refused to accept it as an escape route.

For now, she would face it head-on. Shaken by the events with Willowleaf and their scramble only moments ago, Ashspots was not in the position to fight something almost twice her side and more capable of fighting tactic then she was. Its eyes by themselves were enough to make Ashspots wish she could turn tail and run like a hunted mouse. What kept her paws planted in the ground was Willowleaf's crippled body merely tail-lengths away. The silver pelt was matted with dirt and blood, masking the black stripes. Ashspots felt the rush of protectfulnes she felt over any warrior in ShadedClan before but it soon fell flat. The monster that was her ego was running rapid in her, fighting the mother-like protectfulnes as it came. Willowleaf had attempted dominance and acted as if she was made for the deputy position when Ashspots held the same thing close to her heart. The warrior had tried to steal what wasn't either of there's to begin with and Ashspots had too much fear that it could happen.

A final conclusion came to her when Longclaws raced forward again, fight this cat, figure out a plan, deal with the rest when it comes to her. It seemed like the best option and both overpowering feelings were content with it for now. The huge cat's muscles rippled under its pelt as it leaped high into the sky. Seeming to float for a few seconds before it began to fall on top of Ashspots. Leaning into the wind, Ashspots was able to dodge the attack that was too close for her liking. Conserving her energy was an issue, already feeling tiredness from Willowleaf and the trek out to the forest in the first place.

A paw shot out from the left and Ashspots was quick on her paws again as she pushed into the air. The claws through were as long as the stories told and were able to give her a scratch to think about if she made it out of here alive. The pain distracted her flustered mind for a few precious seconds as the huge cat was able to make its next move. Ashspots landed ungracefully on the ground, her left leg buckling underneath her. The huge cat's jaws, near the same size of Ashspots' head, leered down at her. Teeth flashing dangerously white while yellow eyes gleamed with the victory.

This clan cat had another trick in her though. Ashspots let her leg fall out from under her and she collapsed on the cool ground. The heavy jaws barely missed her, a breath away from taking her left ear. Taking the chance, Ashspots thrust her own smaller jaws forward into the beast's neck. She was able to loach them into flesh and she shivered at how cat-like the blood was. Close to identical to any of the other warriors she fought only this one tasted more wild, more rapid. The big cat hissed and threw Ashspots aside which gave the dark grey she-cat a bigger cut to take with her.

Ashspots tumbled down the small incline, her limbs and head moving wildly with every bump like leaves in the wind. Stopping at the bottom, Ashspots looked up weakly at where she once was. The monster looked triumphantly down as if it was a warrior who had defeated its clan from an enemy raid. Ashspots attempted to get to her paws but the strength to keep her standing wasn't there.

In what might as well of be her last moments, Ashspots tried to think of everything she had done in her life. Everything she had done for her clan came to mind but it felt clearer. As she looked back, she saw herself doing a lot but when she thought back on how proud she was of doing them, nothing came. The only feeling she could pinpoint was something along the lines of If I do this enough, I will become the leader, these cats will like me more if I do this, look at how bad the other warriors are, they're not doing this!

So many things she had done out of self-interest, only caring about herself the majority of the time. All the cats she had helped, working herself half to sleep, attempting to prove an ambitious warrior like herself they were wrong for wanting a position, were all her own interests. But, but I-I've been putting myself last, Refusing sleep, prey, time alone…Thought Ashspots as she weakly attempted to defend her life choices on her last leg of life. They settled for mere seconds before memories blew them away like a harsh storm. Parts of the defensives clicked to memories hidden deep below, thought to be forgotten but instead very real. Clanmates asking to help her with duties but her pushing them away, claiming she could do it herself, refusing to let anyone else take patrols when she had been on three already that day, making herself look better and better each day by doing more than the last. Even though she had been doing it all for the clan, it was all on her own. The thought of letting anyone help her had never crossed her overly ambitious mind.

Duststorm, a strong well-round tom, had asked many times to help her out on the dens and many times Ashspots could now recall snapping at him that she could do it, Darkstar requesting that she let other cats take the late night and dawn patrol in order for her get to sleep but instead she growled that she could handle it and went anyway, many hours of hunting in the forest when they had enough prey to feed the whole clan twice, wasting prey they needed in Leaf-bare. Every heroic act she had ever done was double-edged, hitting her in the back when she sat up proudly. Even her apprentices were pushed to their limits countless times and hardly could keep up with their mentor.

I have done so much for my clan, but was I really helping them? Ashspots thought as her eyes tracked the movements of the beast. Every second it drew closer to her and all Ashspots could do was watch Willowleaf attempt to gather herself to he paws. Am I really better than Willowleaf? Ashspots blinked at the younger she-cat, the thought-feeling bitter in her head. The sudden urge in her to prove herself that fact one more time coursed through her blood again. Willowleaf, a cat she despised since the beginning of her warrior-ship, was almost a mirror image of herself. Instead of doing great acts and taking all the credit though, Ashspots took all the small jobs to make sure other cats didn't get the credit. It was horrible just thinking about it. She felt that want to help her clan truly take over herself. If she was going to die, she would die with her claws out.

Turning the want, the need to do something great for once was what pulled Ashspots onto her paws and able to narrowly dodge the attack. The pain in her legs was replaced with a newfound energy as she growled a challenge. A new plan had come through and one she could stand behind, protect Shadedclan's future, even if that future was Willowleaf. Longclaws looked up in what seemed to be surprised its prey had found a new life but soon regained its incredible posture to fight. It lifted its head to return the challenge with a scream and that was when Ashspots saw her chance, a chance to leave a strong enough blow on it. With a hard push of her back legs, she shot forward with her claws gleaming in the soft light. A twist onto her back had her skidding hard against the forest floor underneath Longclaws. Her claws caught in the hard muscle underneath the russet fur and the screech the beast gave out made Ashspots's chest fluttered with pride.

Before Longclaws could attack back, a flash of silver appeared to cuff it over the ears. Ashspots gave a short grunt of approval before rolling out from underneath the giant cat. The two warriors stood on opposite sides of their opponent, each one with their fur bristling. Neither one of them met the other's eyes as they both charged forward, each aiming for the neck. Longclaws's clever eyes tracked each one of them and with a flick of its powerful neck, it snapped its jaws onto Willowleaf's hackles.

The young warrior let out a small squeak of surprise but it soon became inaudible as the big cat began to shake the cat like a dog to a rabbit. A breath caught in the back of Ashspots's throat when she saw Willowleaf look so helpless but a small bit of enjoyment worked its way into Ashspots' mind. It was what she unconsciously dreamed of, the other warrior getting what she deserved in Ashspots' mind, the rightful punishment for her pride. But, Ashspots found herself hating that feeling more than before. Instead of the pride, it would have brought her, now it felt hypocritical for her to do so. Willowleaf acted just as she did, taking everything by herself to gain higher ranking in the clan. Ashspots had the experience she had said as if that was a way to back up why she did what she did in the clan. She had that experience, the experience of taking all the glory herself and making it all start and end with her was as familiar now as her own paws.

This was her shot to erase the competition for deputy, and Ashspots knew who she was going to choose. With one last powerful push of her back legs, Ashspots shot forward at the russet 's beast chest. She felt the powerful muscles fight against her before knocking the wind out of her opponent. Willowleaf dropped like a leaf from a tree before struggling to get to her paws. Ashspots saw that confidence, that determination so like her own shining in Willowleaf's dark green eyes. May that guide the clan well. Thought Ashspots as she stood in front of the silver warrior.

"Ashspots! What are you doing?" Asked Willowleaf, confused at the other she-cat's sudden change of attitude.

"You're in no condition to fight, quick run back to camp and get help if it decides the cross the border." Ashspots instructed as she lashed her grey tail.

"Well, neither are you!" Willowleaf corrected stubbornly, causing Ashspots to let our a sigh of annoyance. "It'll kill you!"

The reality of the situation was settling into the air as quiet overtook the two cats. Ashspots bowed her head, respecting her own death before turning to Willowleaf one last time. The warrior looked equally scared for both her life and the life of her clanmates, including the one standing in front of her. Green eyes shown with compassion and longing to keep fighting but she was still dazed and no hurting badly from the beating she just took. Ashspots didn't look much better no doubt and she knew she didn't feel better either. Pain coursed through every muscle and vein of her body from being tossed around like some kit's mossball. The world was blurring in her eyes and in seconds she knew she would collapse. Ashspots knew she couldn't make it back to camp in time, no matter how bad she wanted too. Her whole life revolved around doing the things just like it, but for the first time, she could remember, she was breaking from that trend. She gave a nod to Willowleaf to confirm the motion that she would die. Willowleaf looked shocked at the idea, stepping one paw forward in an act of defiance. She opened her mouth to speak but Ashspots cut her off before any words left it.

"Your faster than me, run back to Shadedclan and warn them that the legend is true." Ashspots said plainly before turning to the beast again. In the quick seconds, they had talked, it had watched. Eyes flickering back and forth as the spoke, as if it could understand them. It was waiting for one of them to make the first move, the last one in the battle.

"Ashspots, Shadedclan needs you." Willowleaf muttered as if it was hard to admit.

"They need me to do this." Ashspots responded. "This is what oath we took as warriors was about, doing anything for the clan. I was ready to die the second I said 'I do" to Darkstar all those moons ago, and I will die now. For every kit, elder, queen, apprentice, and warrior that will ever serve our clan, even in the smallest of ways. Now go, before it gets tired of our goodbyes."

Willowleaf looked like she was about to shot back a rebuttal but held her tongue. Ashspots took a step forward, breathing in deep from her nose. She let out the loudest yowl she possibly could, channeling Lionclan as she did so. Longclaws's yellow eyes landed on her as it let out it's own, already beating her at something.

A soft mew of goodbye landed on Ashspots ears as she ran forward towards the beast. Her paws hit hard on the ground and her lips were curled back to show her sharp teeth. In her last moments, she felt like the warrior she always wanted to be. A strong one, the one that fought for her clan and in would live on forever with the tale of Longclaws.


End file.
